1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus which functions as a server communicable with a client image processing apparatus via a network, and a method of controlling the image processing apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, there has been disclosed a technique in which e.g. two MFPs (Multiple Function Peripherals) are assigned functions of a server and functions of a client, respectively, and the client MFP acquires and utilizes address data acquirable from or stored in the server MFP. This kind of technique enables a client to perform transmission using address data (data storing the address of a transmission destination to which the client intends to perform transmission) acquired from a server (see e.g. Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2005-94676).
On the other hand, there has been disclosed a technique related to name resolution (method of looking up the IP address of a host based on the associated host name). A description will be given of a system for performing name resolution, by taking a DNS (Domain Name System) as an example. The DNS is a system which associates host names with IP addresses on the Internet. In the DNS, it is possible to look up a host name based on an associated IP address, and vice versa.
For example, a name resolution unit (e.g. a DNS server) is set in each of a server MFP and a client MFP, and the name resolution is performed using the set name resolution units. In this method, when a domain name is not described in address data designating a transmission destination, the name resolution is generally performed after the address data is automatically complemented with a domain name by one of the name resolution units. Further, a method is also proposed in which the address data is configured to store not only a destination address, but also a user account and a password, and authentication is performed based on the user account and the password at a transmission destination (receiving end).
FIG. 18 shows parts of a system which uses “reverse DNS” to obtain a host name based on an IP address. The system 100 comprises an MFP 101, a DNS server 102 and first and second file servers 103 and 104. The MFP 101, DNS server 102 and the file servers 103 and 104 are interconnected via a network 105 such as a Local Area Network (LAN).
The MFP 101 stores an address book having a plurality of entries corresponding to different respective users of the system. Each entry has a host name, user name and password. For example, the first entry in the address book, “address data 1”, has “fileserver1” as the host name, “tanaka” as the user name and “1234” as the password.
The host name identifies the name of a host assigned to the first file server 103. The full host name for the first file server 103 is “fileserver1.aaa.bbb.co.jp” but, as shown in FIG. 18, the address data 1 only specifies “fileserver1”, i.e. the domain name “aaa.bbb.co.jp” is omitted. Similarly, the full user name for the user “tanaka” is “tanaka.aaa.bbb.co.jp” but the address data 1 only specifies “tanaka”. It is possible to omit the domain name in this case because the MFP 101 and the file servers 103 and 104 belong to the same network, i.e. they share the same domain name.
A user who wishes to transmit image data from the MFP 101 to another user or to himself, selects the relevant address-book entry, for example the address data 1 for the user “tanaka”. In this case, the image data should be transmitted to a directory corresponding to “tanaka” of the file server 103 having the address “fileserver1.aaa.bbb.co.jp”. To obtain this address the MFP 101 obtains the domain name “aaa.bbb.co.jp” from the DNS server 102 based on the IP address of MFP 101 which is “172.24.10.10” and adds this domain name to “fileserver1” and “tanaka”. As a result, the complemented address data “fileserver1.aaa.bbb.co.jp” and “tanaka.aaa.bbb.co.jp” can be used as the destination of the image data.
FIG. 19 shows another system having, in addition to the MFP 101 and DNS server 102 of FIG. 18, a further MFP 201 and a further DNS server 202. The MFP 101 uses the DNS server 102 to obtain a domain name based on an IP address, whereas the further MFP 201 uses the further DNS server 202 to obtain a domain name based on an IP address. The MFP 101 and DNS server 102 are connected to the MFP 201 and DNS server 202 via the Internet. The domain name of the MFP 201 is “ccc.ddd.co.jp”, which is different from the domain name “aaa.bbb.co.jp” of the MFP 101.
In the system of FIG. 19, a problem occurs when the address book of the MFP 101 is exported to the MFP 201 which uses the DNS server 202 different from the DNS server 102 used by the MFP 101. This problem arises because the address book of the MFP 101 does not include domain names. If a user of MFP 102 selects the exported address data 1, in order to transmit image data from the MFP 102 to the user “tanaka”, the domain name “ccc.ddd.co.jp” is added to the host name and the user name for “tanaka”. As a result, an incorrect host name “fileserver1.ccc.ddd.co.jp” and an incorrect user name “tanaka.ccc.ddd.co.jp” are used to transmit the image data, and a transmission error (destination unknown) occurs.
Thus, according to the above-described conventional technique, in the system comprised of the server MFP (MFP 101) that makes address data acquirable or stores the same and the client MFP (MFP 201) that performs transmission using the address data, if the server MFP and the client MFP have different name resolution units (e.g. DNS servers 102 and 202) set therefor, the following problems occur: When address data is exchanged in a state where an associated domain name is not described, there is a possibility that authentication or transmission might fail due to complementary addition of a wrong domain name. Further, it is difficult for a user who intends to perform transmission using address data to check whether or not a domain name is described in the address data.